Memorial Day

(Ok, so this is a little late.... I actually thought I had already posted it! The date says I did, but it was actually sitting there, waiting for me to press "publish". Argh.)

I had an extra day off this weekend and it was nice. Paul and I went to the track (Lebanon Valley) for Musclepalooza. I know, sounds strange to those who aren't drag racing fans. There was a drag racing event as well as a car show. So many people there! We got there at 7:30am and left at 7:30pm. Here is what I did:


See my socks hanging there on the blue chair? Got my beverage, got my knitting, got my book. That's all I need. It was a very relaxing day. Oh and I also watched Paul race. Here he is doing a burnout...

There really is a purpose to a burnout. (Most people's experiences with a burnout is when someone annoyingly does it to show off their car which they think is "all that" -- and most of the time it's not.) It heats the tires up so they grab the pavement better.

And here he is at the starting line...

Unfortunately he was out after the first round, but it was a fun day.

On Monday, Memorial Day, we had my brother-sister-and-mother-in-law over for a little cookout and some destruction:



Yay, no more pool! Just a big hole to fill in.

Overall, a nice holiday weekend!

Here is some show and tell:
Mary Jean's Picovoli tank, with a beautiful crocheted picot edge...


She used the Cotton Rich DK, a perfect yarn for this summery garment!

Kathy's adorable Baby Surprise Jacket made with an alpaca blend:


And her Noro Striped Scarf:

Beautiful colors!

Mary's wonderfully soft Nancys' Scarf:


And Laurie's beautiful Branching Out Lace Scarf made with Silky Wool:


Paul's post got a great response and he may continue to be a guest blogger now and then, presenting the male/non-knitter point of view!

Bowling Green, Kentucky Road Trip

A guest post from my husband, Paul!:

While attending the Buick GS nationals in Bowling Green, Kentucky I couldn't help but do a quick internet search to see if there were any yarn shops in the area. As luck would have it, there was a shop no more than a mile from the hotel. I made a call to Liz to ask if there was anything specific I should look for and after a brief discussion, I now had a list of items to look for. I convinced the other guys in my party to stop at the yarn shop one evening on the way to the hotel from the track. Of course they would not go in, so they headed next door to peruse the pawn shop and smoke cigars while I entered the Crafty Hands yarn shop (www.craftyhandsyarnshop.com).

I was immediately greeted by the owner and after explaining why I had come in, she was more than happy to help me find all of the items on my list. We discussed both stores, items in each store, classes, knit-ins, notions, etc. as we walked throughout the store. This was the owner's 13th year and 2nd or 3rd location, expanding the size of the store with each move. There were a lot of names I recognized while browsing the store and many I had not previously seen. I picked out several skeins of sock yarn - as instructed.

I also added The Spinning Room to the weekly email list that is sent out from Crafty Hands. Just as I had paid for the yarn, I was immediately hurried out of the store by my buddies for fear that we would be seen spending too much time at the yarn shop and not enough time with the rest of the guys. We immediately headed to the local tobacco shop to peruse their wares...

The dragstrip I attended (Beech Bend Raceway) is set on a large farm as evidenced by the numerous 3 and 4 board fences that line the roads around the track. A large number of animals were within a couple of hundred feet of the track including what looked like llamas, goats, sheep, horses and cows.

I wished I had gotten a picture of it but there were several goats climbing on top of a long row of empty 55 gallon drums sitting in the middle of one of the pastures - quite amusing.

If anyone is in the area, I would recommend stopping in to visit the Crafty Hands yarn shop. The owner was quite friendly and helpful, despite the appearance of this visitor and his entourage.

We made a blog!

Check out this post from the All Over Albany blog!...
http://alloveralbany.com/archive/2009/05/21/spinning-yarn-at-the-spinning-room#more

One of their writers stopped in with her two adorable daughters yesterday, took some pictures and asked some questions. I hadn't heard of this website/blog before but checked it out and it's got a lot of great information about what's going on in the Capital area.

Lots going on...

Lots going on these days --

I'm working on the July/August/September schedule --some repeats of classes that have been popular (including several sessions of the Waterfall Beaded Scarf) and some new projects (felted backpack, socks with patterns). Time is flying by - it seems as if I just put out the current schedule!

Knitting knitting knitting: I'm just about done with the Einstein Coat (just needs buttons). Still working on the Estonian Lace scarf (need a quiet moment to pick up all the stitches around the border) and the Monkey socks from Knitty. Finishing up the Logan River Wrap that I started months and months ago.

Yarn rep visits: All the reps are coming and I've been looking at all the Fall yarns. Some great stuff coming!

Yardwork: Cutting down trees that were damaged in the ice storms this winter; draining the pool to then dismantle it (Yay!). Avoiding all the critters that come out in the summer -- I took the dog out last night and had to get past two june bugs, a spider and two toads first!

Show and tell:

Nancy's beautiful dyed Happy Choices sock yarn:

She took a "blank" (natural colored) scarf and dyed it herself! She's going to wear it as a scarf for a while and someday will knit it into socks.

Lauries lace scarf made with Silky Wool:

Laurie took the beginner's lace class and this is the result - gorgeous!

A reminder that the shop will be closed this Sunday, May 24 for the Memorial Day holiday.

Stay tuned for a guest post from my husband (who turns 40 today! Happy Birthday Paul!) and his adventures at a yarn shop in Bowling Green, Kentucky....

We made the paper!

Yay! Trudi, Phyllis and Theresa all got their pictures and their projects in The Altamont Enterprise!

Also, a little show-and-tell...

Sarah's wonderful Noro striped scarf:

She is in 8th grade and a wonderful knitter. She's now working on felted clogs!

What the heck is that?

I found this on the garage yesterday. Please feel free to comment if you know...

Also in the yard this week.... beautiful flowering crabapple trees!

My projects in progress are going slowly, but getting there. I haven't had too much time to knit lately :(

Here is my almost done Einstein Coat from The Knit Stitch book:

This picture makes it look like a much brighter red than it actually is. Just needs the collar and buttons and it's done! It's turning out shorter than I expected and i'm not really sure why. I like it though.

Also, my toe-up two socks on one circular using the Monkey pattern from Knitty.com, with The Periwinkle Sheep sock yarn in Fresh Lavender:

I love, Love, LOVE this yarn! So nice to work with and the colors are beautiful. There are so many beautiful colors. See them here: http://www.spinningroom.net/news.htm or in the shop.

Also, some show and tell:

Ann's Baby Surprise Jacket using doubled Sockin' Sox yarn:

So cute, and great buttons too!

And Elizabeth's very comfy looking short socks made with Cascade Fixation (cotton/nylon blend):

Fashion Show Fun!

The 2nd Annual Fashion Show-and-Tell was a big success! We had so much fun --


....gave away lots of door prizes:


.....munched on some goodies from Hungerford Market (next door to the shop!):


And saw lots of wonderful projects! I've put the projects in an album on Flickr since there were just too many to put here (there are about 60 pictures!). See the pictures here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/25032028@N04/sets/72157617949607327/

I was unexpectedly presented with a gift certificate (Simply Certificates) from several customers who got together to purchase it for me - THANK YOU to all who contributed!!! This was supposed to be a night for me to appreciate you so I thank you for thinking of me.

Thank you to all who attended, and to those who couldn't come, please come next year!

Fashion Show-and-Tell tonight!

The 2nd Annual Fashion Show-and-Tell is tonight at 6:30 --- knitted/crocheted/spun/woven projects to see, munchies to be eaten, and door prizes to be won. It will be great fun so please come down! (and thanks to Diane who made a call to the Enterprise to tell them the "breaking news" about the Fashion Show....since I forgot.)

Last night was the sock yarn dyeing class and it was so much fun. Of course, I forgot to take pictures (I'm seeing a forgetfulness trend...hope that doesn't happen tonight!) but Nancy, Nancy, Lisa and Laura made beautiful sock yarn with pretty browns, blues and reds. Stay tuned for their finished socks! In the works - doing these classes on a more regular basis....

A show and tell from Wednesday's knit in:

This is Jan, who really wanted me to take a picture of the back of her Baby Alpaca Grande shrug because she thinks it's so pretty (and she's right!):

This is made in a pretty blue (this picture makes it look gray). Maybe you'll get to see the front tonight!

Where did the days go?

I had two days off but I'd never know it based on the amount of knitting I got done (or didn't)! I was cranking on my Einstein coat last week and that momentum fizzled on my days off. I got about 1/2 a sleeve knit. I was really trying to get it done for the Fashion Show -and-Tell (which, for those of you who don't know is this Friday, May 8 at 6:30pm!).

This past weekend was the village wide garage sale. Paul and I brought some stuff from home and all sold except for a couple of mugs. Boy were we glad not to have to bring anything back home! (we put the mugs in the library leftovers at the curb) It was a beautiful day and there were lots of people out. We even walked down to the Herb's BBQ truck for lunch - yummy pork ribs!

So, on to show and tell:

Mary Kate's beautiful Constant Companion bag (made with Cascade 220), to which she decided to add handles since her i-cord came out too short - what a great fix!!! And she made a little pouch to put inside. It looks wonderful:

And Jill's baby sweater made with Oh My! So soft and adorable - check out the cute little kitty buttons!:

That's all for now. Lots to do to get ready for the Fashion Show! It will be great fun - bring something you made to show off; or don't - just come to see what everyone else brings. There will be some munchies and lots of cool door prizes. A guaranteed fun night out!